The girl he left behind
by Loonybin
Summary: um...this is about a girl that Gambit left behind when he went up north... please r/r. It's my first X-men fic
1. Default Chapter

I spotted a bread crust, but so did a gray pigeon. The pigeon was faster. It swooped down on it and left nothing behind. I looked trying to find something else to eat. The ally was empty of food.

There was a crack of lightning in the distance. A storm was coming. I hurried out of the ally and onto the sidewalk of a main street. No one noticed me. No one. I guess I looked average. I had brown skin and short brown hair. The clothes I wore looked a little tattered but mostly it looked like I had a place to go home to. I used to.  The only one who might have was gone. He'd gone up north about a year ago, and the guild was slowly but surely falling apart. When he left, I tried following him, but he said no and made me promise that I'd stay down here in New Orleans. I promised, and so far I'd kept my word. He told me to go back home. I broke that promise. I guess he knew that the guild might collapse, and want me safe from it. I couldn't go back home though, they didn't want me. I remember Remy telling me that they'd forgive and forget. They didn't, and I was thrown out of the house again. So now I lived by competing with the birds for scraps of bread and other pieces of food. Remy would tell me to use my powers, to steal. Ever since he left I haven't stolen a thing, and I wasn't starting again. I'd almost been caught, and bought to an orphanage. I preferred to survive on my own, even though it was tough.  There was another crack of thunder. The storm had moved closer. I hurried down the streets towards the park where my shelter was. My old house was on the way. It was one of the biggest in New Orleans; my family's quite wealthy. I scowled as I walked passed it, wondering if they new that their daughter was walking right by going to her home… in the park.They probably didn't know, and if they did I doubted that they cared. The only thing that they cared about was the fact that I was a mutant, or a 'mutie' as they had so kindly put it at our last meeting.

I forced my body through the small crack in the bomb shelter door. See, that's what I could do. Force my body through any opening no mater how tiny my body would force itself through. I'd had it for about four years and had put it to some use. That's how I met Remy. When my parents kicked me out he found me on the street and bought be to the guild headquarters. I was eleven. Now I was fifteen. For three years I'd stolen for a living. The fourth year he left, and I stopped; ran away from the guild. That's how I ended up here, at the deserted bomb shelter.

The shelter had only a few things in it. An old army cot, my old back pack, and a picture of Remy. I collapsed on my bed, hungry. Tiered as I was, I didn't want to sleep. The same dream would come to me; the one I didn't wan to dream. The night of the duel between Remy and Michael Boudreaux. That duel was the reason he'd left. I'd tried to talk him out of it, but he was too stubborn. Then during the duel his powers had gotten out of control. The part of the street Michael was standing on exploded. He was thrown backward, and almost killed him. Remy fled after this to prevent war between guilds. 

~

The morning air was damp, but that was to be expected. I started out of the park at my usual hour of eight. This time instead of ally ways I took to the street corners. It was begging day. Today I chose the corner in front of the outdoor market. This was a pretty good spot, because people were constantly going in and out. The nice ones would give you money, and the nasty ones wouldn't.

Around twelve Carole came. She's the maid at my family's house. She still cared about me and would always either give me a basket of homemade bread or a twenty-dollar bill. Today she smiled when she saw me, and hurried over.

"Hello Miss. Helen." She called. "I bought you some food."

I blushed at being called miss, but stood up quickly.

"I hope you don't mind bread and fruit."

"No, no." I said. "Dat's fine." I took the basket, and thanked her.

"You comin' home soon petite?" she asked, as she asked every week. "I'm sure your parents…"

I shook my head. "I'm fine on my own. I might even be leaving soon."

The words just slipped out of my mouth. I'd stay in New Orleans until Remy came back.

Carole looked at me. "You're still missin' your fellow, ain't ya?"

"He wasn't my fellow." I insisted. "He was like an older brother. And yes I'm still missin' him, but I'll live."

"Ya always was a strong one." She ruffled my matted hair. "Now I'd better get to shoppin'. I'll see you next week. Ya Keep well, ya hear me. Keep on the straight, no more stealing."

She turned and walked to the market. I sat back on the street corner, pulling out a piece of bread, and eating. It tasted great, I hadn't eaten properly in a few days. Next I pulled out a pear, and bit into it. The juice dribbled down my chin and I smiled. Then in the distance a gunshot rang out.

"Another guild fight." I mumbled. It was at times like this that I was very happy that I'd left the guild. But that didn't mean that I wasn't still quite curious. Grabbing the basket of food and the tin with the money I made, I hurried down the street to the source of the sound. 

There was a large crowd around one certain back street so I ran there. Two people were in a large circle of people. One held a gun the other held a knife. I recognized the person with the knife. It was a man named Jean from the thieves guild. The other man was from the assassin's guild. I didn't know his name. They were circling each other, each bearing their weapon. The gun shot again. people in the crowd-including me- ducked. Jean threw the knife. It hit the other man in the shoulder. He staggered and shot the gun again. The crowd ducked. I was now beginning to be frightened, but I couldn't back away, because people were now standing behind me. It was too crowded. To the right I noticed a small meat store. To get out of the crowd I pushed my way through every one. 

The door of the store was locked, and it wouldn't open when I kicked it. Every one was watching the fight, so I took a breath and went through the crack where the door didn't quite touch the ground. My hands went through first then my chest and legs. On the other side of the door I reformed back to my regular shape. The inside smelled of raw meat. I wrinkled my nose but then thought that beggars couldn't be choosers.The crowd out side was slowly dispersing, and the gun kept going off. I saw Jean being shot in the leg. He fell, and I backed farther into the shadows of the shop.

"Caught ya. Ya little rat!" 

I jumped in surprise. "What?"

"You've been stealing from my shop, and I finally caught ya."

"I just came in to get away from the crowd." I stammered.

"No it's you. You've been stealing from me." The man came out of a corner. He was glaring. "I'm calling the police."

"I've never been here before in my life!" I headed towards the door. "I swear!"

"You stay right there." He picked up a phone.

I tried the door, it was locked from the inside also.

"And that." His eyes looked at my right hand. "That's a Thieves Guild ring. Proves it."

"Please sir, I haven't been stealing from ya." I banged the door again with my foot. It hit the crack at the bottom of the door and slid through. The man looked at me for a second before he decided what to do.

"Mutant." He growled. The butchers knife had been laying on the counter was picked up and put into his hand. I slid the rest of my leg through and then my chest, the man was coming. He swung the knife. It missed my head by centimeters. On the other side of the door I ran as quickly as I could. The man had opened up the door and was yelling 'Mutant, there's a mutant on the loose.' This was sending the already riled crowd into another state of panic. I ran past people trying to get back onto the main street.

"There she is!" someone yelled.

Some people chased me, some people were too afraid. I ran through the open market knocking over some stands as I went, the crowd followed. The park was only a street down. I made it. Then I slid through the stone door of the bomb shelter, safe.

That night when I slept I knew the next morning I'd be allover the local news, so I made a decision. 

"Remy," I said softly. "I'm leaving. Breaking the promise, but I'll find you, and everything will be fine again."

~

New York City is awfully big. But it's nice. I'm living better than I was in Louisiana. Central park is almost perfect. I sleep in one of the old empty guardhouses by the zoo. I got in through the keyhole. Begging makes me about fifteen dollars a day. I live on Starbucks and McDonalds. For fun sometimes I watch TV at the television display in the Manhattan Mall. I try not to become attached to any one, but I always hope that Remy might turn up around any corner.

Part of what I do daily is buy a paper, just to see what's happening. The front page of the daily news caught my attention today. There was some news about a recent explosion up in North New York. I put the thirty-five cents in the machine and pulled out the paper. The whole article explained that there were no witnesses and no suspects. It had been a quick and very clean operation. No one had been hurt thanks to a mysterious lady who'd warned the four guards inside of the building. Lastly the writer mentioned that building was that of a testing facility, but it didn't say for what. Fortunately there were no test subjects in the building at the time. I gripped the paper under my arm as I walked off towards the local Starbucks

I'm a regular at the Starbucks, and the guy behind the counter knows me pretty well, only about the stuff I want him to know of course. This morning he was waiting for me at the couch beside the door.

"Hey." He waved. "The usual?"

I nodded and followed him up to the counter. He talked as he made the coffee.

"Some one came by this morning looking for you." He informed me.

"Who?" I immediately thought about mutant hunters or some other type of threat.

"they didn't say their names. The woman was tall, and African American. Brown hair. The man had sort of spiked curvy brown hair and was wearing shades. He was wearing a leather sort of trench coat.

"Excuse me?" I almost choked on the last description. "Spiked hair, and a trench coat."

"Yeah." He handed me my coffee. "Said they'd be back around twelve. If you want to stay, I can put you to work in the back. How do you feel about lifting boxes and counting tips."

"You'll let me know when dey come back? I'll take it. I owe ya a million Chris."

He smiled and opened employees door so I could walk through to the back. 

~

"They're back." Chris stuck his head into the room where I sat counting tips.

"Thank ya." I jumped up and bolted out of the room.

In the main area of the shop it was crowded, because of the lunchtime rush. It took me awhile to find him, but he was easily spotted sitting in the corner. He was wearing the same long brown leather trench coat that I'd seen him in a year ago. The same woman Chris had described earlier was sitting with him.

"Remy." I said softly. I walked closer. "Remy."

He and the woman looked up.

"It's the petite." He grinned.

I hugged him as hard as I could, so as not to loose him again.

"Oh god." I said. "Ya left and everything fell. The guild, my life, Jean was even shot in a duel."

He looked me up and down. "Ya don't look like ya've got any problems petite."

"Don't call me petite." I started to cry. "I'm staying with ya from now on."

"We should go outside." Said the woman. "I don't mean to interrupt but we're attracting attention. To much of it."

I grabbed my backpack, and Remy's hand. As soon as we were out on the streets I started firing questions.

"Where did ya go? Why'd ya leave me?"

"I noticed ya broke that promise. Ya said ya'd stay in New Orleans." He said.

"Couldn't." I said simply. "So where'd ya go? What did ya do? Who is she?" I pointed to the woman walking with us.

"Ororo Munroe." He indicated towards her.

"And…" I prompted.

"I did a bit of traveling and came here. Ororo helped me get where I am now. Now what have ya been up to? Ya're skin and bones. Got thinner since I last saw ya. I'll guess ya didn't go home to ya're parents."

I shook my head. "Dey didn't want me. I've been on my own. I lived in the bomb shelter at the park."

"Ya stopped stealing." It seemed to be an accusation.

"I almost got caught, and sent to an orphanage." I admitted.

"We have a school for mutants in Westchester County." Ororo spoke for the first time. 

I paused. "You've been watchin' me haven't ya? I mean, how else would ya know that's where I'd be?"

"For a week." Said Remy. "From the guards house to Starbucks, and back."

"So ya come to take me some where?" I asked.

"Up to the school. Remy was anxious to find you." Ororo turned into an ally way (I was getting really tiered of Ally ways). Remy pushed the open the gate at the end of the ally. I don't really know how to describe what was at the end of it, but I can try. For one, there was a large black jet. Obviously the people in New York were totally oblivious to this or they'd have seen it. There was sort of a silo erected into the ground; that's what the plane was coming out of. It could have been any person's one-way ticket out of the slums of New York. Luckily it was mine.

Ororo reached up to her hair and pulled of the brown. She'd been wearing a wig. Underneath was the whitest of white hair. Remy took of the sunglasses and I saw the deep red on black eyes I was used to seeing.

Remy sat down at the controls of the jet.

"Gambit's gonna need some fog t' fly this t'ing." He indicated towards Ororo.

She nodded as the engines fired up. her eyes turned milky white in her head and a dense fog (not the usual smog) overcame the streets of New York.

The plane took off.

~

(It sucks, I know. but y'know I just decided to try it, so please r/r and tell me what you think.)


	2. More about Helen

~

~

(a/n- ACK! You people liked it, you actually liked it! This obviously means that I should post this next part down here for you to read. Well…there it is. Please r/r when you're done.)

~

"C'mon petite, wake up." I felt Remy shaking me. I opened my eyes groggily. "We're there."

I stretched my arms and stood up. Looking out the window, I could see that it was snowing lightly, but a large mansion could be depicted through the snow. 

I took Ororo's hand and she helped me down she platform out into the cold. She and Remy led me up the stairs of the grand manor, and inside.

Inside was dryer and defiantly warmer. Remy went back out to the jet and Ororo guided me through many hallways until we reached two large oak doors. Ororo pulled one open and beckoned me to step through. I did and then she stepped in behind me. There was a man sitting at a desk in the back of the room. When Ororo and I entered he looked up from whatever he'd been doing.

"Ah, hello Helen." He said. There was a mechanical sound, and I saw he was in a mechanical wheel chair. "I trust your flight here was pleasant."

"Uh yeah." I said nervously. "It was fine."

"You're wondering where you are exactly?" he asked, already knowing the answer. "Well you're at my school for the gifted. You have the power to slide through any crack I understand."

"How'd you know?"

"Remy informed me." he paused. "You also have power to inject poison into anyone you touch."

"What?" I exclaimed.

"It will come soon." He said with a kind smile. "How did you come to know Gambit?"

I explained everything about being thrown out of my house and meeting Remy on the streets, and him taking me to the guild.

"Legally and sorta illegally," I finished. "I'm his kid."

"How so?" It seemed Remy had not mentioned this to Professor Xavier.

"Well, it's legal because he signed all 'de papers. It's illegal for quite a few reasons. He used a fake name, and a lot of other fake t'ings to adopt me, and also my parents never put me up for adoption, but 'de agency didn't know 'dat." I explained.

"he managed to do that?" asked Ororo.

I nodded. "Like Ah said, it's not exactly legal, but it was a pretty good cover to have."

The professor nodded. "Did your real parents know about this?"

"No," I said. "only one of 'd maids knew. Ah told her one day when she bought me food. My parents didn't know anything about me after 'dey kicked me out. Ah don't even t'ink 'dey know 'dat Ah came up to New York, much less came here. 'Dey probably 'bout disowned me by now."

My Cajun accent was getting thicker, as it did when ever I started on my parents. 

"When did they throw you out?" Ororo seemed interested, so I continued.

"Ah was eleven. A maid had locked me in my room for breakin' a flower vase, but Ah hadn't broken it. So Ah was bangin' on 'de door, my hand hit a crack in 'de door, and it went through. 'Den Ah just pushed 'de rest of myself through. When 'de maid found me outside 'de door she told my parents, and Ah told 'dem what Ah'd done. 'Dey figured Ah was a mutant, and 'den 'dey kicked me out."

I stopped as Remy walked in. He was wearing a grim smile and muttering to himself. Neither Xavier or Ororo seemed to notice. 

"Gambit," asked Xavier. "Can you take Helen to her room?"

Remy nodded and walked out of the office and into the hall. I picked up my back pack and followed him. He was waiting out side the door throwing a pack of cards up and down. 

"C'mon." he said, and stared to walk.

"where'd ya go?" I demanded. "Ah know ya didn't just go up north. Ya went some place else."

"what makes ya t'ink 'dat?" he asked casually.

"Ya lied ta' me in 'de city. Ah want 'de truth here." I said.

He was grinning at my suspicion, like it was the funniest think in the world. That grin also let me know that I was right.

"Maybe one day, Ah'll tell ya. But you're right. Ah didn't just come up North."

"why can't Ah know now?"

He just shrugged, and kept tossing his cards. I had to take long strides to keep up with him. As we turned a corner I nearly collided with another girl. 

"Sorry." I said, brushing myself off. The girl was glaring daggers at me. she looked at me and then at Remy. She frowned then took off down the hall.

"Rouge." Remy turned and stared at her retreating back. 

She didn't respond, but just kept going.

"Who was 'dat?" I asked.

"Rouge." He smacked his forehead. "My girlfriend…Ah hope."

"Finally took _one_ girl?" I teased.

He scowled. "Ah've had one girl before Hal."

I smiled. "Bella Donna asked after ya for awhile after you'd left town. Ya still like her?"

"Ya never did tell me how ya were livin' after Ah left." he evaded my question, and changed the subject.

"Yes Ah did. Ah told you, Ah lived in 'de old Bomb shelter in 'de park. A servant gave me food sometimes."

"and what'd you tell 'de professor 'bout our relation ship?" he asked.

"Ah told him 'dat Ah'm practically you're daughter if 'dat's what ya mean." I paused. "Ah've answered everything for ya, why won't ya answer anyt'ing for me?"

"Because it's not somet'ing Gambit likes to talk about." He said, reverting to his third person speech. I sighed and looked up at my old friend. He was hiding something, something very important. 

We came to a wooden door. Remy opened it and led me in.

"You'll be stayin' here." He said. "If 'dere's anyt'ing you need, let Gambit know." then he left.

I truly hated it when he did that. He'd be grinning and happy one minute, and then the next he'd be sullen and taken in, and it would take a miracle to get him to say a word to you. And that's not to say that the third person thing wasn't annoying either, but I was used to that.

I closed the door and looked around my new room. it looked a lot like the room I'd had at my parents house, minus the pink frills all over the place. 

Seeing the bed in the corner of the room made me think about how tired I actually was. But I wanted to look around the mansion some more, and see what else and who else were here. Something told me that Ororo, Remy, Rouge, the professor, and I were not the only ones here.

~

A/n- there's a box down there where you can write your thoughts on my story. I'd be much obliged if you'd please type in it. 

Thank you,

Loonybin


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